Monterey County gets a new park, but who will run it?

An oak-studded expanse of southeastern Fort Ord has become Monterey County's newest park, and soon could be open to the public for hiking, riding horses and bikes, and even overnight camping.

The question is, who will guide the use of the new county park?

On Thursday, county parks commissioners took a brief driving tour through a portion of the 145-acre parcel bordered on the west by the newly designated national monument lands and to the east by the East Garrison planned development site.

The commissioners, impressed by the largely untouched landscape, voted to recommend the Board of Supervisors dub the property Prado Park, after the Spanish word for "meadow." They also suggested an attempt be made to preserve a unique pentagon-shaped structure with a fire ring in the center — a reminder of the area's past use as a camping site for military families.

Formerly known as the "travel camp" or "youth camp" parcel, the property was officially accepted by the supervisors on their Dec. 11 consent agenda, shortly after the Fort Ord Reuse Authority transferred the acreage to the county's control.

Supervisor Jane Parker, who helps lead regular tours of the former military base, called the new park site a "real jewel" and was enthused about its potential as an access point to the nearby Fort Ord National Monument and its central location for youth from around the county.

As part of the deal, the property was placed under management of the county Parks Department. The Public Works Department was charged with overseeing demolition of "substandard" structures on the site, including an old firing range on the northern portion, a crumbling cement basketball court with rusted backboards, a baseball backstop and remnants of campsites.

County parks official Lavonne Chin said plans for the park include restoring it to "open space" by getting rid of virtually all existing structures and not replacing them. Chin said the public will be allowed access to the park's undulating grounds, including a meandering network of roads and trails, and permits will be available for group use.

But a Salinas-based nonprofit organization, the Monterey Bay Youth Camp, has been waiting for years for access to the parkland. Last month, its lead official, Art McLoughlin, asked the supervisors to designate his organization to take the exclusive lead on managing the site, and Parker said at the time that the organization should be given first shot at running the camp.

However, Chin said Thursday it had been some time since county parks officials held talks with the organization, and no new talks were in the works.

Parker said Thursday that the organization may not take the lead, but county officials should make sure to include it in the planning process.

"My point is we need to talk to them about any plans," Parker said. "Don't just go off on another plan without talking to them, and recognizing the history.